National Party Leader Christopher Luxon's first interview on The Country
The most listened to interview of the year goes to the National Party's new leader, Christopher Luxon.
In his capacity as the new National Party leader, Luxon made his first appearance on The Country on December 3.
In this "get to know Christopher" interview, Mackay covered Luxon's seven houses, being a Christian, liking country music, his view on farming and farmers, Simon Bridges, Judith Collins, Todd Muller, Barbara Kuriger, Penny Simmonds, and asked who his favourite politicians were.
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Christopher Luxon below:
Read all about it: National Party leader Christopher Luxon says he's not going to apologise for his success
Graeme Williams: The Golden Goose
The number two spot goes to East Coast farmer and bush poet Graeme Smith.
In his first poem for The Country this year, Williams put pen to paper in a plea to Jacinda Ardern to look out for farmers, after becoming concerned over government regulations.
Listen to Graeme Williams recite The Golden Goose for Jamie Mackay on The Country below:
Read all about it: The Golden Goose: Farmer's poem for Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Groundswell NZ
Third on the list is Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who spoke to Mackay about why she hadn't met with Groundswell NZ yet and how many times she'd met with other agricultural groups. She also denied there was any favouritism at her press conferences.
Listen below:
Read all about it: Jacinda Ardern on Groundswell, Barry Soper and press conference issues
Winston Peters on Northland's Covid lockdown
Coming in fourth is New Zealand First's Winston Peters, who had strong words for the Government's decision to put Northland into alert level 3 in October.
"The system is a mess when you don't get proper disclosure," he told Mackay.
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Winston Peters on Northland's alert level 3 lockdown below:
Read all about it: Winston Peters on Northland level 3 lockdown
Graeme Williams: Three Waters
Fifth place goes to bush poet Graeme Williams, who returned with another offering, this time on the Government's controversial Three Waters policy.
This time the East Coast farmer was so concerned he woke up at 2:30 am to put pen to paper.
Listen to Graeme Williams recite Three Waters for Jamie Mackay on The Country below:
Read all about it: Three Waters - Farmer's poem for the Prime Minister
Graeme Williams: Carbon farming poem
Sixth place also belongs to bush poet and East Coast farmer Graeme Williams, who once again, awoke in the wee hours to compose a poem for the Prime Minister.
His final work for 2021 touched on the increasingly controversial practice of carbon farming and how it was causing concern for rural communities.
Listen to Graeme Williams recite his carbon farming poem on The Country below:
Read all about it: Carbon farming - farmer's poem for the Prime Minister
Sir John Key on the future of agriculture in New Zealand
The former Prime Minister comes in at number seven this year, with his November interview.
Mackay asked Sir John Key about the prospects of the world plunging into another global financial crisis and where New Zealand's future lay as a food-producing nation.
Key also looked into the future of alternative proteins and how they could play a complementary role alongside traditional livestock farming.
Listen to Sir John Key's interview below:
Ben O'Carroll runs for men's health
Here's a feel-good chat for the number eight spot. Jamie Mackay spoke to North Canterbury sheep scanner Ben O'Carroll, aka BOC, who planned to run 111km, in one day, for men's health in Movember.
O'Carroll's odyssey took him from the Cheviot Trust Hotel to The Carlton Hotel in Christchurch and he eventually raised over $25,000 for Movember.
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Ben O'Carroll on The Country below:
Winston Peters on Government's Covid response
It's back to politics for number nine, with New Zealand First's Winston Peters returning for another crack at the Government's Covid-19 response.
This time Peters had a bone to pick with the vaccine rollout and how lockdowns were affecting New Zealand's economy.
He also agreed with Sir John Key's opinion piece, where the former PM described New Zealand as a "smug hermit kingdom".
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Winston Peters on The Country below:
Read all about it: Winston Peters says John Key is right about Covid response
Christopher Luxon on Three Waters and carbon farming
The number 10 spot goes to the man who also came first - National's new leader Christopher Luxon.
This time Luxon tackled the Government's controversial Three Waters policy and pledged to look into how carbon farming was affecting rural communities.
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Christopher Luxon on The Country below:
Read all about it: National Party leader Christopher Luxon on Three Waters and carbon farming
So there you have it, The Country's top 10 interviews of 2021. Thanks for tuning in this year. The team will be back on January 17, 2022. Have a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.
